need a little advise

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i am planning a backpacking trip into heavy grizzly country this summer, and am having trouble deciding if i have a handgun sufficient for this. call me a pansy, but i want to take a gun that will put down a grizzly should the need arise. from my posted collection: do i have something good enough, or what should i get. i have a $700 limit for a different handgun if needed. i also would appreciate any suggestion on ammo as well. thanks.

I'm not a expert but... Heres my two cents.
Handguns .44mag and bigger. Thats what they say on the hunting shows anyway.
I saw WhenAnimalsAttack and a park ranger was attacked by a bear. He took it out with a .357. But... when he fired the bear was already on top of him. He put six rounds of .357 in it's throat which he said is a was a weak spot.

00 buck will just piss it off you need shotgun slugs. So if you own a shoty you may not have to buy anything.

As for rifle 30-06 and bigger.
Simply put, if it cant punch through a car it ain't gonna stop a Bear.

The 500S&W but most people can't hit with these large hand cannons A wounded bear will be a pissed bear. I really don't think I would go 1 on 1 with a bear with a pistol. I had a friend lived and hiked AK. He carried a walking staff with a bell. Warned bears he was in area and never had a problem. I think to much made over bear attacks anyway .Not really that many
Besides your in their yard so your the trespasser not them.Sort of a home invasion thing. Go Bear.(smile)

i was actually thinking a handgun for weight reasons. i do have a remington semi auto 30-06, but i don't want to carry that around for 16 days. thanks though.

You're betting your life on it. A 460 S&W would probably work, 454 might do it, 44 mag is on the bottom end of power for what you want. If you don't like the guide gun, how about an 18" 12 GA loaded with #1 Buck?

i appreciate all the feedback. it sounds like i need to invest my dollars in a 44 mag. i like the rugers, are there any other good 44's in the $600-$700 range? i think i want to stick to at least a 4" barrel to broaden it's use for me outside the backpacking.

Exactly. I wouldn't rely on a pistol nor revolver to keep me safe from grizzlies. Not a gamble I'd take. My life is worth more than losing four pounds for a weapon that is less accurate, harder to hit where needed with under stress and is less than adequate for this purpose. The .44 Rem Mag is not intended for this purpose nor is it appropriate.

The Marlin GG on the other hand was designed for such a purpose and would serve well for it.

Keep in mind there's a big difference between grizzlies and black bear.

i appreciate all the feedback. it sounds like i need to invest my dollars in a 44 mag. i like the rugers, are there any other good 44's in the $600-$700 range? i think i want to stick to at least a 4" barrel to broaden it's use for me outside the backpacking.

You really can't go wrong with a Ruger. They're solid guns and will take a good beating. Good price, too. For what you want it for, I'd look into Rugers.

Well you could get one of those Freedom Arms hand cannons, Magnum Research BFR's or a S&W X-frame but they well exceed your price limit. You can also get a Thompson Center Encore for instance, but you may not want a single-shot.

The Marlin though, easily meets your price and you can buy some accessories and ammo for it with the money left over. budsgunshop.com for instance has the stainless version currently listed for $538.84.

Well as for models theres two revolvers I've shot in my life. Some Smith&Wesson 32ACP.
And the daddy gun Taurus Raging Bull .44MAG. It has a 6 1/2 barrel and is heavy as a brick. And for that reason I loved it.
.44 scared me till i shot one. I had worst accuracy with a .380 we were using then i did with the Raging Bull.
No 1911 trigger can compare with a Revolver S.A. pull. I didn't pull the trigger, it just went off at command.

Living in Northwestern Montana I to have to watch for the big boys and mountain lions. I carry my Glock 23 everywhere. Ya, it’s probably not big enough but it’s better than a stick. I would probably use bear spray first if I had the time. Just letting bears know that you are there is helpful. They try to avoid us as much as possible. I have yet to get any closer than a couple hundred yards for a Grizzly here. They usually know I’m around and my daughters are usually beating rocks together for noise.

I carried a Ruger Super Black hawk (.44 MAg) when I lived in Alaska. Nice gun! I shoulda never sold it.